Vermont and Northeast friends: I had such an incredible time this weekend with two back to back spoken word events December 1st and 2nd on “Changing the World Without Having a Clue” here in Vermont. Thanks to Spencer and Renee Crispe and Matt Kimball for all the work they did putting these events together, and especially for branching out and bringing in audience members from the widest range in the local communities. And for the people who came from other states to be here at the shows this weekend.

December 1st in Brattleboro Vermont at Headroom Stages
December 2nd in Burlington Vermont at the Blackbox Theater

The idea for these events is always the same: Come share ideas, speak out, be clueless, and let’s change the world.

More soon.

Share this:

The best of times at Grinnell College in Iowa with vegan straightedge sociology professor Ross Haenfler who put together two full days of speaking and events. Day one had us team teaching sociology classes together about punk/hardcore history and how punk and straightedge relate to larger social issues. Later in the day he arranged a campus-wide speaking event for my “Changing the World Without Having a Clue” presentation.

On the second day we hung out on the couch with his cats and talked for three and a half hours about the wider sociological implications of punk and straightedge for a new book he is working on, and then he arranged for us to meet at night with the campus Intersectional Vegan Group to talk about how veganism connects to other forms of oppression. Great students and even better ideas circulating about how to tie together all sorts of different initiatives.

If you ever go back to college make sure you go to Grinnell and have Ross be your professor. He plays Minor Threat in class.

Share this:

For years I’ve been dreaming about writing a spoken word LP. The idea is to have my words appearing with an original musical track from each of the most talented friends I have. I have commitments from seven artists so far.

Today that dream became more of a reality. Tracking an original song with Rocky Votolato near Seattle.

Update 10/22/2017

Spoken word LP audio track #2. Selecting music tracks today in Los Angeles with Joel Jarek DeGraff from his recorded catalog under the name Same Animal. Search spotify and SoundCloud for the Same Animal songs especially my favorites “Broken Glass” and “Escape From Stockholm”.

Fun fact: I met Joel for the first time when I saw him singing for Undertow when I was twenty years old. We later played one show together after he’d left Undertow with his band Saidchild when I filled in on bass for a night scared out of my mind that I would mess up every note of every song.

Like the rest of the world, I was shocked at the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Trump promotes racism through his anti-immigration policies and his promise to build a wall “and make Mexico pay for it” (regardless of whether or not he ever follows through with that plan). Racism and xenophobia are only two of multiple aspects of Trump which are threatening to human rights.

Trump being elected has empowered white supremacism in the USA. This means gun wielding border patrol patriots who will now feel even more protected as they shoot first and ask questions later. Trump is surrounding himself with people in his political cabinet who will help him achieve a goal of a stronger white America.

My idea was this:

• Since intelligence in a post-truth world is invalidated by emotional reaction to nonsensical misdirections: Trump’s tweets and so on, the more we react, we embolden the enemy. Burning an American flag for example provides propaganda tools for the opposition to use against us. We need to be thinking clearly, locally, immediately, openly, and calmly about strategy, and not reacting. The intelligence we need is counter to that information which is presented to us, not in line with it. We must burn our own course through this new era of thoughtless propagandizing.

• The idea: I would come to Mexico for the two weeks prior to the election (the 7th or 8th of January through the 21st which is the day after the inauguration)

• I would do a spoken word tour of Mexico (hardcore / punk shows, community centers, any gathering place) and spend 20-30 minutes each night speaking and sharing perspectives, then one hour each night LISTENING. Rene Espinoza of Fuerza Booking who would be promoting the tour would be with me helping to translate, compiling notes with me, and offering critical perspectives as a Mexican currently living in Mexico. We would be listening to local people describe their perspectives on Trump, on racism, on immigration, on NAFTA, on the economic conditions in Mexico….and what can be done about all of this.

• At the end of the tour, Rene and I would compile notes from each night and put it all together – in English and in Spanish – an action guide which would tell everyone in ALL of the cities, the ideas of all the other cities and share thoughts on what people are feeling and how they are thinking of reacting to this new political era.

We asked promoters across Mexico: is this tour a good idea, would it be useful or helpful, and do you want to participate? Everyone said “YES”.

These are the tour dates, and for more information contact Rene Espinoza at Fuerza Booking Mexico https://www.facebook.com/fuerzabooking

Share this:

Heading out on a five day spoken word tour in two weeks with my friends in Great Reversals. Hear me rant about our relationship with power/authority or our need for risk/connection, depending on the night. See you soon friends.

FOLLOWUP POST TOUR 11/15/2016

Just walked in the door after flying home from my spoken word tour with the passionate hardcore band Great Reversals: five excellent humans and truly sincere people.

So many people helped make this tour happen: in Pittsburg, Kristine Michelle Hayes is the embodiment of determination and courage. In Philadelphia, Andrew at Hydrogen Man Records put on a great show and Chris Striegel taught us how to eat in quantities that would kill a normal human. Paul Alan in New Jersey put on the only seven band show in history that ended early. Josh at Head2Wall Records in Columbus Ohio created a banger of a show which was a tour highlight featuring vegan Polish food(!). And Maxxwell Lange in Detroit managed to get 120 kids to come out to a Monday night show in a display of pure promotional genius.

So many bands to thank and for you to check out: Hell Mary, Northern Widows (like Nails on steroids), Pulling Punches, TOSKA, None Above All, Silence Equals Death (like One King Down for 2016), Bitter Peace A.D., Bent Life and so many more. Steven Muczynski lent us his van. Mike Moynihan took photos. I am forgetting key people I am sure. So many true friends.

Spoken word in the hardcore/punk scene is an exercise in honesty: getting out of your head, being present in the moment, and opening up as much as possible in front of strangers in new bizarre settings every night. Few things are more intimidating and as fulfilling. Thank you to everyone who interacted and engaged with ideas on what to do now that our future is entirely in our hands. Our heroes are dead. No kings or priests or leaders are coming to save us. Any hope is within each of our abilities to connect with and expand to others amidst insecurity and fear. Our communities, our world, and our lives depend on it.